


MissingTale

by Karmania



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, And there will be backstory, Asriel is alive as well, At least I'll try to make them good, But not at first, Chara is both innocent and evil, Dimension Travel, Everyone thinks Sans is evil, F/F, F/M, Gaster Blaster Sans, Gaster is alive!, It's my first time tagging so forgive me, Major Character Injury, NO PROMISES THO, Original Character(s), POV Sans, Papyrus Being A Jerk, Papyrus Remembers Resets, Papyrus is suspicious, Poor Sans, Sans Dies, Sans has the power to Reset, Sans-centric, Scientist W. D. Gaster, Soul Shenanigans, Theres something missing, They are part of my AU, This is my own AU, What Have I Done, You will find out why later on, and it is big, anyway, at first, puns, sort of, this is gonna be sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2018-07-23 23:52:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7484811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karmania/pseuds/Karmania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He tried.<br/>He tried so hard, and when finally he suceeds it all goes wrong again.<br/>Now there's this Papyrus that is not Papyrus at all and nobody knows him and really, this is all very confusing. And why in the world is it so difficult to stay alive?</p>
<p>Maybe he shouldn't have broken his promise after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am, writing my first fanfiction. About Undertale. Well, I will try my best. Enjoy!

Golden tiles and golden windows shimmer. They are beautiful, but they are gray in his eyes.  
It's not a wonderful day and no birds are singing.  
Sans is very, very tired.

Blue magic flares up on his hand and envelops the soul of the demon before him.

Up, down, to the side, up and down again. They don't fight the pull of his artificial gravity, and he figures that they are tired too.

He flings them around violently, and then right into the spear-like bones that sprout from the floor. The sickening sound of their body being impaled echoes in the large hall and in his mind too.

Too many times.

Seconds later the body is gone, the blood vanishes and he stands on clean golden tiles once more, wondering how many times he's killed them.

436?

378?

Or 590?

He's lost count.

Sometimes he wants to reach out, search for the friend he knew. But his attemps had proven to be futile, as it always ends with spilled blood anyway.  
So he eventually stopped.

The demon steps from the shadow of the pillar before him, their knife glinting red despite the golden light falling on it. Their blue striped sweater is grey with the remains of countless lives taken.  
He would shiver at the sight of their bloodthirsty grin and their wide, crimson eyes... but at this point, he's seen it often enough to not be bothered by it anymore.

The numbness is tiring as well.

He doesn't even warn them now, just summons his blasters and fires at the spot they're standing at. They dodge, of course, and swing at him in a wide arc that misses completely as he teleports a little to the left.  
They smile creepily and attack a second time.

He's gone and then behind them, and long bones pierce their soul. It shudders as it refuses to die, then finally shatters into tiny, tiny pieces that fade before they ever hit the ground. Their body falls, gasping and not realizing that it is dead yet. Too soon it all goes back.

Really, it's as if they're not even trying anymore. They die easily, avoid his assaults only with half a heart.

Not that it matters... how and when they die.  
They get murdered by him anyway.

Maybe he should just give up? Let himself get killed, see if he meets Papyrus in the afterlife?  
...Nah.  
There's still a DIRTY BROTHERKILLER to take care of.

And he _will_ force them to reset. He will see his brother after this. Even if it takes another hundred deaths for the child to give up. Or a thousand.

Even if the tiredness is slowly getting to him and he feels deep in his bones that he will not last much longer.  
His soul aches when his thoughts drift to Papyrus again, and he briefly closes his eyes to mourn him, touches the fabric of the scarf around his neck, then opens them again just in time to see the knife aiming at his ribcage.  
At the last moment, he teleports and the blade cuts only air.  
That was close.  
He'll slip up soon.

The demon in a kids body stumbles as their target disappears, but regains their balance and turns around to face him.  
They smile creepily, but it is without the real malicious intent.

They too stopped laughing a good hundred kills before this fight. They don't even taunt him anymore.

It's around the 600th fight that he notices the flicker in their soul.

The silence gives him room to think.

Another array of bones gets summoned from the ground and the human jumps over it. They swing at him in retaliation and he dodges without effort. It's a dance they both know very well. He knows it better though, and that's why they die when he sneaks a blaster behind them while they are distracted by his flying bones. Their flesh burns until only black ash remains.

Load.

At first he thinks it's just the repetition getting to him, but when the glitch occurs, again and again, he starts to actively look for it. He notices that the flicker shows up every time he makes the effort to mention one of his dead friends, or his brother Papyrus. Toriels name gets the strongest reaction, and for a second he clearly sees the dark red swirling, revealing a lighter soul underneath.  
But as quickly as it has broken free it is covered again, and the attacks after that are always more vicious than the others.  
So he forms a plan.

Five deaths and reloads later he tries it, he's got nothing to lose after all.

In the short break between the end of his turn and their attack he begins to speak.

"So, uh, you planning on stopping anytime soon? 'Cause I gotta say, this is getting slightly boring...  
Must be really frustrating. You're dying so many times only to achieve nothing.  
Maybe you could make some Spaghetti with Undyne instead?"

A twitch. They run faster.

"Or you could solve puzzles with Papyrus. He always loves it when you do that. He's the best brother ever, you know?"

Another glitch. Their speed increases.

"And I'm sure Toriel would love to see you again as well. Maybe she'll make that pie you seem to love so much."

There!  
The soul flickers between light and dark red for just a fraction of a second - but that's all he needs.  
Blue magic covers it, holds it tightly and then pulls in two directions simultaneously.  
With a sound similar to that of ripping fabric and grinding glass the soul and its parasite are separated.  
But it is not the light side that remains in the body.

Red.  
Black.  
The shadows stretch and twist, drown out the golden light, and an unearthly screech rises in the growing darkness.  
Like an image from hell, the now soulless body is swallowed by the thing, and it stretches it's inky black matter until the blue tinted heart floating in his hand is the only source of light.

"gI VE it B AcK!"

The thing's voice is booming, glitched and altogether terrifying and Sans instinctively takes a step back. His mind reels.

He was right. He was right, and now there are two where there was one.

That wouldn't be so bad if the original soul wasn't in his hand and the parasite in the body.

"IT IS M IN E ! T He soUL BEloN GS T O ME AL On e !"

It howls and screams and hisses, sending spears made of shadows at him.

He is taken by surprise. And closes his hand.

Warmth seeps into his phalanxes.

There is little information about monsters that absorbed human souls. Mainly because it didn't happen in the Underground, and the war wiped out all of the ones that had before. And because a human soul is much too strong to simply be assimilated, two things can happen when a monster gets a human soul:  
One, the human soul fights the monster soul and it results in a violent mix that causes the resulting creature to go on a rampage until it runs out of determination and dies. That sort of thing happened on the surface and was what ultimately started the war.

Second, in the event of the human soul going peacefully, the two souls can merge to not only create an even more powerful monster but to also coexist. They still become one soul, but with two linked minds.  
In monster history this happened only twice, and only one is known - but no longer alive.

In the end, it is the second option that plays out when Sans the skeleton accidentally absorbs the human's soul.

It starts with a quiet chiming like one of bells, steadily getting louder and louder in the back of his head. Heat builds up in his ribcage and multiples with every second as well. His thoughts stop altogether as his mind goes into shock.  
Soon he feels like he is melting, limbs and spine and skull dissolving into puddles of white goo. Strangely it isn't painful.  
The bells ring louder and the words of the demon don't even register anymore, as a white light engulfs him.

_'...Sans?'_

_..._

_'...please wake up Sans!'_

_'Sans...'_

_' **...Kid?'**_

_'Oh Sans I'm so glad you can hear me!'_

**_'Ugh, give me a moment... what happened kiddo?'_ **

_'Oh, um, you don't remember?'_

**_'No.'_ **

_'Um, oh! I should have known you wouldn't remember anything. You've blocked all the memories after all. Let me just...'_

A pause, then a red flash.  
Images start to flicker before Sans' inner eye.  
He is shown a fight, but strangely it is from two first-person perspectives - which shouldn't be possible. He sees himself standing with empty sockets and the scarf in the judgment hall, experiences the weight of his own magic slowing him down.  
He feels himself being killed, over and over again. And he fights the control of the demon possessing him.

Sans watches and feels. Remembers sending the bone that killed him... So did he technically kill himself? No. He tried to kill... to defend himself from... Chara?

And finally he understands.

He makes the connection between the murderous behavior of his friend and the whispering voice in the human's ear while they traveled through the underground, urging them to kill, kill, _kill_ and driving them nearly insane as they try to resist. Between the dead child of the royal family and the red-eyed demon that took control of Frisks body.  
He lives trough Frisks horror of losing control of their own actions, of seeing their friends get murdered by their own hands. He even sees how the demon kills his brother, who believed until the very end in someone who could not answer. The underlying helplessness in the memories is nearly the same as his own.

He knows the real horrors of the resets now, of being stuck in a time loop with no way out, only being able to control it by _dying_. And he sees the struggle with Chara in their battle, how the names of their friends gave Frisk the strength to wrestle back control for a tiny second in hopes of finding help.  
Welp, they found it, even if not how they thought they would.

_'Better a free soul without the body, than a caged soul within the body.'_

_' **Can't say I don't agree with that, kid.'**_

Sans thinks back to all the times he woke up after a reset and just couldn't bring himself to stand up and continue since even if he did something, told someone, it would all be erased anyway.

In a way that makes them more similar. Frisk and Sans both have given up somewhere along the line - but now, now they have power. Now they have _control_.  
And they will have their revenge.

Chara doesn't stand a chance.  
As soon as Sans' mind returns to normal reality he is moving.  
The darkness, before so dangerous and seemingly undefeatable, is now exposed to his eyes as a weak, thin construct of corrupt magic. It is as laughingly easy to tear it down with his gravity attack. He ignores the protesting screeches, instead focuses on locating the center, where the parasites true essence will be. He finds it and drags it towards himself. It is a black thing, shaped like a human soul, but oozing corruption, squirming in his magic's grip and trying to reach him. He is careful not to touch it.

So what now? He knows he can reset, but he also wants to make sure that Chara suffers beforehand.

Then an idea occurs to him and he smirks. How about giving Chara a taste of their own medicine while preventing them from _ever_ coming back?

He takes a shortcut.

Sans' shortcuts are less rips in time and space than they are connections from one weak point to another. It would be entirely too draining to make a scar in the fabric of space-time every time he wants to get something to eat at Grillby's. Not to mention that the Void, the place between realities, always makes him feel on edge.  
That, however, didn't mean that he wasn't able to access it normally. If he really wanted to he could make a new rip, which would scar and thus create a weak point that he could later connect with another one to get a shortcut. His sentry station, for example, is riddled with them.

And now that Sans has Frisks power and determination as well it is as easy as breathing to tear a new hole into reality, through which he steps into the Void, taking the panicking parasite with him.

The Void, despite what one may think, is not made of matter. Because matter would reflect light and in the Void, there is literally nothing, so it just looks black. There also is no ground to stand on, and if you 'step' into the void, you actually just float around, but you never notice because there is neither air pressure nor resistance to any sort of movement.

Because of the lack of anything resembling air a human, if it were to enter the Void, would die within seconds, because not only is there no oxygen to breathe, but the Void also sucks the energy out of anything that enters it. Heat is a form of energy, and a human would be frozen even before it could go insane from seeing, hearing and feeling nothing.

It is a lot like outer space actually, just without any stars to guide you.

You could easily lose yourself in there.

Sans, however, is able to move inside it because of his magic, and Frisks mind linked to his is keeping him company, reassuring him when the Void threatens to break his will.

Chara meanwhile is not a happy camper.

The black heart had doubles its effort to get to him, and as it dawns on the demon that he plans to leave it here, it begins to reach out and corrupt his magic. He is forced to let go of it like it's burning his grip.

Chara leaps at him.

He teleports.

But something goes wrong; he rips the wrong fabric, wrong, wrong, _wrong_...

They disappear in a bright flash and the Void is void once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me for any grammar/spelling mistakes.  
> English is not my native language, but I love it anyway.  
> Tell me if you find anything so I can fix it!  
> I hope you enjoyed this and if you did please leave a review to let me know!


	2. I don't know you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans meets Papyrus. And he doesn't meet Papyrus.

His sight is blurry.  
Pain courses through him.

Where is the demon?

He can't sense its presence anywhere near him... He's filled with relief that it didn't get his and Frisks soul. He doesn't even want to imagine what would have happened if it got a hold on that kind of power again.  
Then he thinks about how it escaped, which means that now he'll have to capture it again... Which shouldn't be a problem at all. He's powerful now, and he won't make the same mistake twice.  
But first, he has to move.

He focuses on trying to get up- _why_ is it so hard?

There is something white right in front him, and for a long moment, he struggles to recognize it. All he's known since the first Load in the judgment hall is either black or gold or red. This thing here is powdery and a little bit wet and _so_ familiar...  
Then he realizes that he is lying in snow. He looks up - there are trees all around him.

He comes to the conclusion that he has somehow teleported to Snowdin.

Which is... strange.  
He could have sworn that something went wrong - but here he is, still in one piece and still trapped in the Underground.

Maybe he imagined it?  
No, it can't be. His gut feeling (pun intended) never failed him like that before and proof of that is now linked to his mind.

This is not good.

Finally he manages to stand, even if he sways dangerously. Oh well, he definitely won't be able to teleport anytime soon. He's too tired and exhausted, and that is worrying in itself because even with his normal energy level creating a rip in space-time is not that draining.

Blackness tints his vision.

He'll have to find a place to rest soon if he doesn't want to just pass out where he stands.

_'Be determined, Sans_ _!'_

Sans can't help but smile at Frisk's mental words. Despite everything, they still support him even after it took him so very long to realize that his friend was possessed by a demon. You would think that the murdering at least tipped him off, but he didn't even try to do anything until Papyrus was killed...  
He doesn't deserve Frisk's friendship.

_'Sans, I don't blame you for anything. If you have to blame someone, blame me because I let Chara take control of me.'_

He can feel the determination they have to prove him wrong, after all, it is his own now as well, and how it encourages him to not give up. He also feels their regret and how they desperately wish for a happy ending for the friends they love.

**_'Kid, Chara tricked you. You forget that we share memories now, I can remember her voice telling you lies and offering tempting deals. Honestly, if someone had offered me the chance to stop the resets, I would have jumped at the opportunity. Not sure if I would have sold my soul for it tho... My point is, you couldn't have known, and you were desperate and turned to the only one who seemed aware of the time loop. You didn't know that I could remember them as well, so I am guilty of not approaching you first.'_ **

Before Frisk can protest (he can feel their indignation), a stick snaps somewhere behind him. He is reminded of both snapping a stick under his slipper as well as hearing it snap behind him exactly like that - wow double memories are weird.

He doesn't turn around immediately, pretending he didn't hear anything so he can see what the individual will do.  
He senses its magic, swirling clearly agitated. Is it because of him?

A cough.

"Hey there!

He freezes.

He knows that voice.  
It's not possible.

He hasn't heard that voice since an eternity of loops ago.  
It's not possible, he didn't reset, and there's no way...

That Papyrus is alive.

He looks back.

No...

It is  
not  
Papyrus.

The monster looks like him, but it's not him.

Icy fingers seem to capture Sans heart.

It has his face, his height, and body shape, but not his posture. His expression is all wrong - like seeing an actor, one with the appearance of his brother, but with an entirely different demeanor.  
The stranger wears different clothes too, no battle body or scarf in sight and Sans' Papyrus goes nowhere without them.

He may forget to do the laundry quite frequently, but he does it occasionally, and he knows for a fact that Papyrus doesn't own any black shorts and definitely no jacket like the one this lookalike is wearing. It would be too bland for his brother's taste, for it is plain white with black rims and some kind of symbol on one sleeve.

Papyrus also could never in his life look so serious, or so calculating.  
This stranger is openly cold where Sans' brother is kind and warm and caring to everyone, everything his big brother admires.

Sans doesn't even notice that his eye sockets have gone black, but the not-Papyrus definitely does. He appears to become nervous.  
The scowl morphs into a friendly smile, as if to calm Sans. It looks forced. His brother couldn't manage that, for _his_ Papyrus doesn't know how to fake anything.

"Well, ah, sorry to bother you good citizen but I have to ask you something! You see, there has been a warning about a new human soul being in the underground, and we're looking for it right now. So if you've seen or heard of a human please tell me!"

A human soul...  
Most likely they just mistook his and Frisk's fused soul for a regular human's. Figures that he would run into trouble first thing.

And who is 'we'?

He realizes that the fake is still waiting, and innerly panics. Quick, deflect!

"Sorry pal, can't say that I've seen any humans around here. Plenty of ICE people tho."

The look-alike blinks at the pun - but chooses to ignore it other than that. _Sans'_ Papyrus wouldn't do that. He would have groaned and admonished him for it, but never ever would he have just _ignored_ it! It's the only real proof Sans needs to know for certain that this is indeed not his brother.

"That's unfortunate. But... if you DO meet a human, please bring it to the next guard station. The poor thing will probably be confused and scared! The guard there will be able to help them."

What the hell? Since when are monsters out to help humans?

The stranger, reliefd to have done his duty of informing Sans, starts to wander down the path again, but then stops abruptly and turns around to face him again.

"Excuse me, kind citizen, but have we met before? I patrol around here quite often, and I think I would have remembered another skeleton.  
If you're new here, you should know me as Papyrus Font, the royal guardsman."

Sans promptly has to violently shove down the sensation of pain building in his chest. Why does this stranger's name have to be Papyrus too? Why not something distinctly different that would amke it easier to ignore the similrities?  
 _'It's not fair!'_ a part of him whispers.  
No, wait, that's Frisk actually. It feels their intense sorrow, seeing the familiar face but not the cherished friend, being reminded of killing him again and again. They dislike this not-Papyrus as much as he does but want to wait before they make their final opinion.  
Sans decides to play the role of the innocent bystander for now.

"You got me, pal, I'm new here. Just passing through, looking at this lovely snow you know? I'm Sans, by the way, Sans the skeleton."

The fake Papyrus blinks, his smile getting more uncomfortable, and he tells Sans:

"That's... good. Um. Nice to meet you, Sans. I would stay and chat, BUT! I'm afraid I must continue to search for the human and can not afford to wait, so... Yeah. Bye!"

The stranger retreats hastily while Sans just watches him, motionless.

It isn't until after the sound of the last crunching steps in the snow fade out that he allows the facade to crack.

He laughes hysterically.

So many times he has wished to meet his brother again, to give him a last goodbye!  
And now!  
Now there is a Papyrus, but it is not his brother, and he misses him so _so much_...  
He faintly realizes that he's crying, tears leaving black holes in the snow. They look exactly like he imagines the holes in his heart to be like, left there by a stranger.  
They hurt, hurt like only missing things can.  
Why?  
Why does his life have to be so screwed up?  
He feels like he can't ever catch a break. All his life he has walked away from one problem only to stumble right into the next.  
And before this, he has always managed to shield Papyrus from anything. Now that's not possible either since there's his Papyrus is _dead_. This fake Papyrus is like a slap to the face, a taunting parody of a brother he cannot reach.

_'Sans, listen to me. I'm still here Sans. We still have the power to reset, the power to get back. Nothing can stop us permanently now. We'll get our Papyrus back, soon. Don't give up now.'_

Frisks voice soothes some of the pain, but not all of it.

He doesn't know just how long he stands there, letting his emotions run wild. Frisk is like a rock in the wild waves, and gives him a grip on sanity but cannot shield him from the emotions crashing against the two of them. Too long has he bottled up his fear and sadness and grief, and now he probably won't ever get rid of them completely.

Eventually, the storm passes and his negative feelings, while still there, calm down to leave him exhausted and clinging to Frisks mental presence.  
They feel sad too, but mostly because they know of all the things Sans had to endure. They also offer no words, for they know he can feel that they are with him, and simply nudge him to the tiny sliver of hope they have: Getting back from wherever they are, resetting their timeline and getting their friends and original life back.  
But first, they will have to find the parasite. Yes...

Determination fills him.

He will not give up.

In a way Sans feels like a new person. Maybe he is, with his new soul and his freshly cleared mind.

He begins walking.

So. If Papyrus is different, he should check if anything else is different too. That would also help him figure out where Chara would most likely go, they will need a new body to control after all.

Bodies belong to people, and people down here live (mostly) in towns.

Thought teleporting is still not an option, he can monitor his surroundings. Right now there is an Ice Cap not two trees away to his left. Did they watch his mental breakdown? He goes forward as if he doesn't see it. The monster doesn't say hello, just watches him silently as he passes by. Maybe it is scared of him? A Snowdrake takes cover in a pile of snow as soon as he comes into sight.

_Why?_

Minutes later he arrives at a familiar sign. He's about to choose the path leading to Snowdin when he sees her.

Undyne, in full armor, is running towards him.

Now, while that may be a quite terrifying sight for Frisk, Sans isn't fazed. After all, he didn't do anything worth mentioning here.

Undyne comes to a skidding stop just a few feet away from him, then summons a spear. And points it at him. Sans is just a little bit worried now.

"You there!"

Were all monsters so rude here?

"Hey you! Someone reported to me that you showed up here and that there's dust on you! You have one try to explain that monster dust on your scarf, or I'll be forced to capture you for interrogation!"

Well, didn't see that coming.

At least Undyne is as straightforward as ever.

His hand moves to grip the red fabric as he struggles not to respond violently to what he is being accused of. The dust was Papyrus' dust and to think that he, his own brother - killed him!

(Though in a way, since his soul is now fused with Frisk's, isn't it true?)

Apparently he doesn't answer fast enough for her. An angry snarl rips out of her throat as undyne engages him in a Fight. Which brings out his soul.

It is a bright, shining red.

He can hear her gasp as she sees it - it is neither monster nor human, for it has the shape of a monster soul but the color of a human one. Frisk's color.

Sans looks at her and knows that he's doomed when he hears her furious shout.  
He doesn't react to the spear that pierces his feet, presumably to capture him - her aim is off...

He just hears the shattering of his soul.

Huh - who would have thought, his HP is still only 1...

...

The world resets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's me again! So, um, thank you to the first few readers and to those who left kudos and comments.  
> It all encourages me so much!  
> Stay tuned for more!


	3. Can you fool someone twice?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans meets Papyrus. Again.  
> He also finds that there is more to this world than anticipated...
> 
> And where are all the people?

Resetting is not a pleasant feeling.

There is a reason you need so much determination to go back in time.  
You need it... because it gets literally taken.  
A Reset costs you part of your soul, and while the wound heals almost instantly, it still hurts like hell. A normal person cannot use the Reset because it takes more determination than most have in their entire being. Resetting would leave them with nothing TO recover, and even if they have barely enough the agony is so crippling it could permanently damage the mind of most, whether human or monster.

As if he isn't in enough pain already.

This time he doesn't get up as fast, instead curls up right there in the snow, gasping and moaning.

It burns.

Like waves of liquid flames washing over him, tearing at his very soul until there is nothing left but ash and dust.

Please, let it end...

His teeth grind together in an attempt to ease the pain, but he still smiles for he cannot do anything else. Sometimes he wishes he could alter the grin on his face to be able to express how bad he really feels... But he can't. 

So much pain... everywhere - he honestly has no idea why Frisk would ever do something like this willingly.

He hopes he has to never do it again.  
When finally the intense burning of his soul ebbs away he hesitates, then sits up slowly and carefully. Neither Sans nor Frisk say anything. Sans just curses his bad luck. Why does it always have to be him?  
Both think about what happened, and come to the conclusion that this time he has to do something different.

The question is, what can he do to avoid being killed?

Undyne said that she had been informed about him - but how?

There are only two possible ways that he knows of.

On one hand, it could have been cameras that recorded him - in which case Alphys would be the one responsible.  
The problem with that is the total absence of any digital monitoring he's seen in the area. Heck, he's done that too, he knows where one puts cameras around here. And no, he didn't do it to stalk someone, jeez. It was a job for.... nope, not thinking about him. 

Anyway, it could also have been a monster that got suspicious and reported him. And the most likely to do that... was the fake Papyrus. The obvious discomfort the other monster expressed could have easily led to him telling someone about Sans and his dusty scarf.

So should he try to avoid him altogether, or should he just talk to him differently?

Hmm, no, first he has to stand up.  
He can't afford to be unprepared, for now, it is too late to get away from the stranger. 

The only thing he can do...

Reluctantly he brings himself to take off the only reminder he has of his real brother. 

Dust...

Papyrus' dust still clings to the red fabric and he has to bite back the tears threatening to spill at the memories of his cherished sibling and his death.  
He longs for his hugs and his caring words and even his horrible spaghetti.

His heart aches.

Taking a deep breath he lets the scarf vanish into a pocket dimension. That is something he got from Frisk; they call it their 'inventory'. It's pretty neat to have because no one but him can now access it and take anything. The ultimate vault, if you will.  
He could even expand it a bit if he so wished... but for now, he has other things to do.

The stick snaps again. Sans pretends not to hear it.

"Hey there!"

He looks over his shoulder -  
And the light in his eyes dies again.

This time it is not because of the similar appearance of this monster to Sans' brother - although that still drives a metaphorical knife in his heart - it's because of the expression he's wearing.

It is not cold this time.

It is filled with panic.

The sight of such despair on Papyrus' face stirs up his big brother instincts.

In the last moment Frisk can convince him to stay put instead of going over there and hugging the lookalike. While that may be received as positive behavior, it also would most likely lead to being questioned about why the heck he's doing it.

So he does nothing.  
As always, he's holding himself back. Like the worst kind of coward... like something not worth anything, something not even able to HELP HIS BROTHER-

'Not always Sans! You're not a coward Sans, just look at me! You still saved me and stopped Chara from getting to the six souls and Asgore! And if you had known that Chara would kill Papyrus, you would have done anything to prevent it. But now it's different, now it's crucial to maintain a low profile, so it's okay! Sans, you're still a good person, please remember that.'

It's amazing, how Frisk has saved him from his own thoughts so many times already.

"Well, ah, sorry to bother you but... actually, have we met before?"

Sans resists the urge to raise an eyebrow. Did the conversation change just because he wasn't wearing his brothers scarf?

"Please, tell me we've met before! Do you not recall our previous conversation? I asked you about the human!"

So that's why. 

He remembers the reset.

That's... going to be a problem.

"Sorry pal, can't say that we've met before. I've seen plenty of ICE people here tho."  
He winks.

It's not really his style to repeat a pun, but it definitely seems to convince the not-Papyrus that Sans has no memories of their first meeting. 

"But... I... why does no one recall anything about what happened? I don't understand!"

In the safety of his mind, Sans cringes.  
He feels bad for the other skeleton, he really does, he knows what it is like to wake up and discover that time just rewound and you have to do everything again... How it is to discover that nobody even KNOWS that it happened, that a portion of their lives has just been stolen from them... But he has his mission to find Chara and, on the bright side of things, once he and the demon are gone, the problem of the Resets will be fixed for this Papyrus too.

He just needs to not get caught.

"No idea what you're talking about, buddy. Anyway, what was that about a human?"

The lookalike is obviously panicking but manages to stay calm enough to educate Sans about the imaginary fallen child.

Sans promises to help the new human if he comes across them (he jokingly relays the message to Frisk, who is distinctly amused) and wishes the not-Papyrus good luck in finding them.

After the other monster is gone, he carefully tries a different path than last time. Maybe he should go find Doggos guard station before walking to Snowdin?  
Yes, he should do that, better safe than sorry after all. 

He begins to suspect that something's wrong after he walks for fifteen minutes and still gets nowhere. 

Why hasn't he arrived yet?

Did he do something wrong again, has he missed something important?

A cold feeling is crawling up his back, and it has nothing to do with the snow and ice around him.

Then finally he finds something - a big, towering tree, older than most, the strong evergreen branches laden with sparkling white. It reminds him a bit of that Christmas tree they had in one of the surface runs, where Toriel finally got back together with Asgore and Papyrus gifted Sans with a big, handmade and wonderfully warm sweater and Frisk got him a... actually, he got nothing from them. That had been the day Chara took over after Frisk got careless.  
Oh, how his anger flares up again just thinking about them and everything they stole from him, from him and Frisk and everyone else too.  
Only the knowledge that they are not the one with the power to reset is keeping him from a breakdown. That, and Frisk with their caring words, of course. 

Back to the tree.

Even with the resemblance to a certain other tree it is stunningly majestic, and he feels protected, somehow.  
As he approaches the chest hidden in its shadow, he notices a blinking light at the edge of his vision.  
Is it?

He cannot believe it.  
A Save!  
Excitement surges through him. Frisks memories show how lucky he is to have found one now.

This means he's finally going to be at full power again! No more dragging himself around with barely enough strength to make the next step!

Eager to get better he nearly teleports over to it, but that would have been a little bit counterproductive. 

Then, finally standing before it, he cups it with both hands as if he's afraid that it will just fly away like a bird if he's not careful enough.  
Maybe he is.

His phalanxes touch the yellow light.  
Saving feels... very clean actually. Like being doused in gentle water, or breathing in fresh air after a long time of having only stale one. It washes away his lingering sorrow and fear with its clear bliss, vanishes his concerns if only for a brief moment.

He opens his eyes like he's seeing the world for the first time.

Huh, he didn't remember closing them...

He blinks to rid himself of the lingering dizziness.  
And a quick look at his stats leaves him shocked.

Not only is his HP fully recovered (it was at 0.4), it has gone up by one point as well!

He grins joyfully. After so many years, he finally discovered how to raise his HP!  
While 2 Hit Points would be almost nothing for everybody else, for him it means that he can at least lower his risk of dying from a simple tumble down the stairs, or something equally as dumb.  
His grin widens into something nearly genuine. This energy feels great!  
And it's also making him pretty restless, so he resumes walking in good spirit.

As he continues down the path, getting increasingly more bored, he decides that he might as well try out his recovered strength. He concentrates on catching and throwing things like sticks or snowballs with his blue magic. Quickly he finds that he doesn't need the practice because his accuracy is astonishing and he doesn't notice any strain on his magic for using his ability for so long. 

Sans... doesn't dare to summon a Blaster thought.  
Now THAT would most certainly attract unwanted attention...

Roughly one hour of searching later he finds a big, big wall.  
It is made of purple bricks, like the ruins, but much better maintained and really tall.  
Not a door in sight.  
Almost as if... it is meant to not only keep out - but to also keep in.  
Sans runs his bony fingers along the spotless paint. It looks new, in the way that a new layer over an old one covers the imperfections but cannot remove all traces of them.  
Digging his fingers into it and peeling back the paint reveals at least thirty different variations of the same color.  
That means that this wall had someone applying fresh layers of purple to it for at least three years, most probably more.  
While a year or five is not much for a monster like him the fact that there is a wall at all is bad news as he cannot imagine a positive situation in which such a thing is needed.

"Dude! Get away from the border!"

A voice drifts down from atop the 'border', and he looks up.

There is a royal guard leaning on some kind of fence, staring down at him.

"I'll totally have to arrest you if you don't step back, little dude!  
You know the rules, no contact unless you request entrance at the gate. " 

What gate? Contact who?

Also, he's NOT little. Just a bit shorter than most.

The... horse monster, kinda hard to tell with that armor, leans forward on the fence making it groan under the weight.

"Actually... I'm not sure if you belong here, dude. You could be one of THEM trying to pass the border illegally for all I know. Tho I'm sure you just came here without meaning to, right?  
You just need to show me your citizen card!"

How is he supposed to show the guard his card with there being like seven meters between them?

Also, there's the problem with him having no 'citizen card'.  
Seriously, why would anybody in the entire Underground need anything like that?  
This place here (wherever he is) is obviously pretty messed up.

"Dude, if you're not going to answer me I'll be forced to get down there and examine your card myself."

"Nah it's good. I'll just go check over other trees than those standing GUARD around here..."

Instead of being distracted by the admittedly sad pun the monster in armor keeps still and says nothing.  
Sans is getting uncomfortable.

"Show me your card."

Any trace of ease has vanished from the guard's voice.

"Sorry buddy, but no can -"

Sans never really gets to finish his dodgy answer, for he is hauled up with blue magic and roughly thrown over the wall. Too surprised to resist he lands in a big pile of snow on the other side. Face first.

Something pings and he gets the feeling that he has just been searched.

"God dammit you dudes! Get lost! You know you can't-fool me! Technically I should report you now and get you thrown into prison, but I'm gonna be nice to you. So go back to where you came from and don't return 'cause next time you might not be as lucky as to meet me. There are some real nasty buggers in the guards, y'know."

Ok.

What the hell? What is he going to do now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. I have. SO. MANY. IDEAS.  
> Seriously, I have so many things planned out and I'm really excited to slowly reveal more of my AU...  
> And believe me, there are MASSIVE changes.
> 
> Tell me if you enjoyed this chapter or if you have tips for me, I appreciate a review either way.
> 
> See you soon!


	4. Wasted lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finds himself in a part of the Underground like none he's ever seen before. It's certainly different, and not necessarily the pleasant kind...

Sans shudders as he stems himself up. The snow had cushioned his fall, yes, but that didn't mean that it felt comfortable to land with your upper body in a snow hill. He wipes the snow from his jacket and from his skull as best as he can. Really, he's just lucky that nothing got into his eye sockets.That gets really freaky _fast_.  
A sight escapes him while he takes a moment to check out his new environment.

Everything seems... dull, he notes. At first, it had looked exactly like the area he was kicked out of, but on second glance the sickly trees, the trash lying everywhere and the tree stumps that litter the space in between stand out horribly. It looks disgusting and dead, like a tainted mirror of the other side of that wall.

He shivers as an uncomfortable feeling crawls into his bones and settles there.

Slowly he starts walking, because what else is there do?  
He isn't getting back over that wall, that's for sure. Just him and that dark forest now, and that unsettling feeling that's getting stronger the further he goes.  
In the corner of his vision, he spots a few flickering shadows. He's also sensing weak magic signatures nearby, so he definitely knows that these are monsters watching him - only, they're not showing themselves. Why? He's not wearing his scarf, he didn't look particularly threatening the last time he checked (well, only because he probably didn't want to, as he admits quietly to Frisk), and he hasn't done anything alarming so far. Except being thrown over a purple wall that has absolutely no right to be there...  
Well. That's probably it, he muses. The guard _had_ implied that this side is for the ones without a 'citizen card', which means that the monsters following him probably don't have a card either. Whatever it's purpose is, its possession is apparently a requirement to stay on the clean side of the wall. Maybe they hope to gain one from him? Then again, maybe they are just curious. Maybe they want to welcome a new monster, but are too shy to show themselves!  
He stops as he realizes _what_ he just thought- then faces Frisk with the mental equivalent of a raised eyebrow.  
They 'shrug' unapologetically.  
The 'child' has, after everything that has happened, still held on stubbornly to that little sliver of optimism that is now tinting his thoughts. They aren't going to give it up _now,_ not when Sans may need the positive outlook more than ever.  
Sans involuntarily smiles.  
He can't help it, because Frisk has spontaneously decided to smother him in happiness, assuring him that they will help him, always. _Don't worry_ they say, _we can do this. Together._

Their little inner moment tapers out into a concerned silence however when Sans arrives at the edge of the forest. The trash here is lying around in little hills, turning the snow sickly colors and stinking to hell. Sans is suddenly very grateful for the decree Asgore of his own world had passed; that any and all trash not in use had to remain in the dumps. Seeing the things it does to its surrounding environment, complemented by a few memories of human cities from Frisk and his own time on the surface, it makes him almost want to go back just to thank the king for his decision.

Reluctantly Sans makes his way through the ever higher reaching hills of colorful human waste products.  
His little stalkers have vanished between the heaps of trash by now, and the trees have gotten fewer in-between. The ground slopes down a bit, then abruptly falls away completely, forming a cliff he nearly stumbles off of. He catches himself, looks up, then stares in disbelief at what lies beyond.

Picture, if you will, a small house. Got it? Now, replace the walls with stacks of empty bottles, cans, bent sheet metal and cardboard, all held together and wrapped up with glistening threads of purple. Swap the roof for blankets, more cardboard or simply nothing at all, and insert transparent pieces of plastic for the windows. Then repeat the process a thousand times and spread the houses over a space barely bigger than four soccer fields. Stack them over one another if you have to. Next, plunge the entire thing in darkness, and, lastly, light that darkness with hundreds of multicolored lights.

This is the sight Sans experiences on that cliff.

It is simultaneously terrifying and beautiful. He can feel the thrumming of life, the many, many different magic signatures within that 'trash city', but he also picks up on an inherent sense of danger, one that tells him to watch his back in there.  
He really isn't sure if he wants to go into a zone that feels more like a dragon's maw, but it's the only option he has, apart from going back to that wall.  
So he cautiously keeps his eyes on the 'trash city' while slowly sliding down the side of the cliff. It lands him in an even bigger labyrinth of trash hills and garbage dumps, the waste stacked so high it looks more like walls from his perspective.  
There are none of the lights this far out, so everything is wrapped in shadows. The snow has long since melted into a dark sludge that clings to his shoes and leg bones. He can't help but feel watched, this time more intensely than before. The sound of his wet steps on the soggy ground feels too loud to him, too _obvious._  
Shapes tower over him, mountains of trash growing bigger and bigger - until finally, _finally_ the first of the floating lights comes into view. It's a tiny thing, no bigger than ping-pong balls, but its yellowish radiance is pretty strong. It illuminates a good portion of the area around it, revealing a twisting dirt path leading deeper into the city. Sans follows it, however reluctantly, and curiously inspects every light he comes across. Sometimes he pokes them. His fingers tingle where they touch the soft light, and he eventually concludes that they are self-sustaining magical lamps, able to draw on ambient magic. They are colored by the personal affinity of the monster that created them; the way it functions is like a small, tinted lightbulb, with the internal white light (the raw magic) being filtered by a colored sheet (the personal magic) on the way out.  
It certainly gives the trash city a more pleasant atmosphere, he thinks wryly. As he continues, the first 'houses' begin to emerge from the waste, and the first monsters hurry past him, not even acknowledging his presence. Their filthy appearance disturbs him, as the hollow eyes and unkempt looks are not something he ever hoped to see outside the aftermath of a genocide run. Frisk sends him a wave of apologetic sorrow at the reminder, and he gently soothes it with feelings of forgiveness.  
Eventually, he makes it to what seems like a major road, packed with people that, while looking a lot healthier, seem just as disregarding of others as the ones before. Most hurry down the roads like they have dogs snapping on their heels, but some prowl like predators on the hunt, eying the crowd that parts around them like the sea. All of them look unpleasantly dirty.  
Uncertainty curls in his chest, and Sans comes to a stop just shy of the actual stone ground that covers the new area. He's never been good with fitting in, he knows, preferring to do his own thing and keeping all socializing to areas he's comfortable with. He is able to stay on good terms with a lot of people, yes, but that's more because he usually doesn't stick his nose in other people's business and keeps the atmosphere light with jokes. There are few he ever lets close to his heart, and none he would open his mind to.  
But now? Now he's a complete stranger, an unknown person likely to be recognized as a threat because he's so out of place it's not even funny.  
Which leads him to his current problem: He has no idea how to fit into this crowd. His clothes are too intact, the colors too bright, his bones are _white_ and very much not filthy, and his panicked mind, he knows, is betrayed by his magic radiance. It would be a wonder if he made it through without someone stopping him.  
Then an idea hits him. Quickly he checks memories, this time not from the last runs, but from Frisks' experiences too. He finds what he's looking for.

_Hey kid,_ he asks Frisk, _could you do something for me?_

They hear him out. He explains what he wants to do and how to do it, and they agree, if a bit hesitantly. Allowing another mind to move his body, even if it is sort-of-not-really a part of him, is frankly quite disturbing, for both of them. But it will allow him to concentrate on searching for the signature of Chara's energy, so he suppresses his fears.  
Thankfully, all goes along without a hitch, and the human mind settles down next to his own.  
Despite the initial awkwardness Frisk quickly adapts to this weird... cohabitation. Neither of them is fully in control, but it's enough for the kid to actively change how Sans' body holds itself and speeds up their thought exchange to near instantaneous. They throw his hood up - the dark blue is better than the stark white of his skull - and move forward determinately. Monsters move past them, barely giving a glance to the hunched figure like so many others. Say what you will about Frisk's abilities, but one thing they are definitely good at is pretending.

They certainly have enough practice pretending not to know people they've been friends with for several decades.

Not to mention all the time they had to hone other areas of the skill. With thousands of resets came thousands of opportunities after all, and not all resets had been spent just in the Underground. There were several longer lifetimes where Frisk had gotten to grow up, sometimes with, sometimes without monsters. The number of times they had been an ambassador roughly equaled the times they had chosen a professional career as an actor. Combine that with a ton of real-life experience, and you get yourself an expert in all areas of pretending and assuming roles. It is a two-edged sword, they had found, since for all that it brings them joy it makes it far too easy to hide behind a facade and lie.  
As such they are delighted that the skill is now being used to help, keeping Sans safe and unnoticed. It certainly makes Frisk feel better about acquiring it, and, as a consequence, Sans too.  
They proceed quickly, with Frisk 'steering' and Sans discreetly scanning for any trace of Chara's malicious presence. They thankfully avoid any notice, walking through the streets and going with the flow of the crowd.  
Eventually, they find themselves in a marketplace of sorts. Here the crowd is particularly thick, and there is an excited buzz that permeates the very air. The multicolored lights are more numerous as well, bathing the monsters in their hues, creating an almost exotic feel. The stands are lit by their own warm lights, and although most are every bit as shabby as the rest of this city, in some areas, there are some that could almost be called fancy. Curiously he comes a bit closer to examine the wares. There's the usual - food, clothes (used and dirty ones, but still) and little knick-knacks, but in the richer parts, he also sees what looks like spools of the glistening purple thread used to hold together the houses, as well as various spices, and costly technology. To his shock, there are also many shops that sell _blades,_ rusty daggers and thin metal in the poorer parts, polished silvery weapons in the others.  
Since when do monsters use weapons other than their  _own_ magic?  
His disbelief doesn't abate in the slightest as he continues on to iron tools, more food and a shop with a mismatched collection of books. He takes care to avoid the big looking monsters that are apparently the guards of the market, their uncharacteristically hostile stares and frowns so unlike any monsters he knows from his world.  
He's just about ready to leave the marketplace to continue his search when he spots another stand, a particularly fancy one, with a red cloth draped over the sides and bright lamps illuminating the wares.  
His heart, his _soul,_ seems to stop.  
Vials. Vials upon vials filled with a semi-clear liquid that shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow, arranged in rows and rows and presented like precious jewelry. He _knows_ what this is, feels it shooting through his bones _at this very moment._

_Liquid_ _**Determination.** _

_What is that doing here?_ he thinks almost hysterically. The most dangerous substance he knows, and here it is, being sold like it's a simple luxury item _anyone can buy._ Distantly he's aware that his breathing is fast and irregular, but not even Frisk can help him now, since they are just as wrapped up in the panic as he is. They have both _very bad_ memories associated with the liquid form of this substance, ones that tend to involve pain and misery and the ending of that particular timeline.  
Sans slowly moves towards the stand, tunnel vision focusing on the vials. He needs to... he needs to _destroy them_...  
A hand clamping down on his arm abruptly snaps him out of his trance. He nearly whirls around to hurl a magic attack at the person that is holding him back, but the feeling of a cool blade pressing against his ribs stops him cold. A trickle of fear pours down his spine _. Someone is behind him, threatening him in the middle of a crowd_. Theoretically, he could escape the hold, but can he _really_ risk starting a fight here when he's trying to avoid notice? He consults Frisk, but they are just as unsure as he is.  
He hesitates for a moment longer, then relents to the attacker. He won't risk another reset, not now. He can always come back for the vials later.  
Both Sans and Frisk reluctantly let themselves be dragged away from the stand, past the guards and into what seems like a dark side alley. Their captor is silent, but he can feel their agitated magic, sparking and winding. He dares not to do more than a cursory scan, but it reveals that they are rather powerful, and clearly know how to use it well, also shown by the way they keep the dagger at his ribs while also using both hands to keep him in place. Telekinesis, _nice_.  
However Sans isn't the Judge for nothing, and he has his own tricks up his sleeve. Using his own specialty, gravity magic, he tugs at the object in the pocket of his jacket -one he loathes to use but is nonetheless intrinsically familiar with due to memories. As soon as they are alone in another alley, he whips out the plastic knife.  
A painful reminder of dust and blood, and death at the hands of a demon.  
It's better than the real knife of course - he wouldn't touch that accursed weapon even if his life depended on it - but it's still revolting enough that his hold trembles while he points it at the person behind him. He really hopes he has judged their position right, since a knife pointing past your head isn't nearly as threatening as one at your throat.  
"Now," he says deceptively sweet, "Tell me what the heck you think you are doing."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it hadn't been clear before, now it certainly is: This version of the Underground hides more than it lets on.
> 
> So! A new update, huh. I will admit, I had nearly given up on this. But since apparently there IS still interest in this beloved idea of mine, I gathered my determination and finished this chapter! I hope it makes up for the loooong wait...  
> Tell me what you enjoyed about it, or if you find anything that could use improvement!
> 
> And, finally: Last chapter I said that we'll meet a familiar character... which is our mystery captor. Now you'll just have to guess who! :D


	5. Forgotten dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sans meets another familiar face and a potential helping hand.

Time is almost standing still.

There is this moment of shocked stillness and seconds go by as nothing happens; a tense stalemate between two monsters wielding blades with their magic. Then Sans growls impatiently and abruptly jabs an elbow into his opponent's side, and as their concentration wavers, he easily disrupts the control over their dagger with a tug of gravity magic. It clatters to the ground, a sharp ringing in the oppressive silence.

Slowly, cautiously, Sans turns around, not yet trusting his control of the situation. He comes face to hood with a monster that is around the same height as him, if a bit larger, some kind of dinosaur if the tail he can see twitching under the cloak is any indication.  
His eyes narrow with anger.  
The monster tenses as Sans seamlessly switches the hold of the knife from his magic to his hand, pressing it a little bit harder against their skin. He can't see their expression since their face is hidden in the darkness of the hood, but he can clearly feel the fear emanating from them. They whimper, and it is such a _vulnerable_ sound that he feels his resolve weaken, knows his grip on the knife is trembling, but he pulls himself instantly back together again. This is an unexpected, unknown situation, and he can't afford to show this person any mercy. Not after they literally dragged him into an alley. Finding out their intentions is his first priority now; if they intended to simply rob or kill him it's just his 'rich' appearance that got him into trouble, if it is something else like, say, his _magic_... well... then he may have a _real_ problem at hand.  
It probably says a lot about his messed up mentality that threats of death register as 'low-level danger', but then again; resets and time loops tend to have that effect on people. Take Flowey for example.

...Aaand now he _knows_ he should be concerned. Because at what point did his brain (or the monster equivalent thereof) decide it was an option to compare _anyone_ to that murderous weed, much less himself?

Also, he should probably focus on the dangerous situation going on right now. Right. Priorities.

"I-I just w-wanted to t-talk to you!"

It's familiar, how they stutter through the sentence in that panicked, high pitched voice. Immediately the mannerism is recognized by both Sans and Frisk, summoning impressions of yellow scales and nervous smiles. The instinct to rip away their blade from the monster is suddenly overwhelming and results in a twitch of their weapon that makes the person before them squeak and shiver in fear. With a wave of his hand, magic pushes down the hood that covers them, revealing a familiar, yellow scaled face:

Alphys.

  
She stares back at them with a terrified expression.

_A loyal h_ _elper,  a faithful companion._

Sweet, self-conscious Alphys, always geeking out over anime and technology. What is she doing here?

 _Guide, confidant. Fellow_ _nerd_ _, fellow scientist._

Alphys, their friend.

Except... not, not in this world. She wasn't who she appeared to be. Nobody here, no one was who they should be.  
They couldn't trust her. No matter how much they wanted to, they could not release her. Even if it hurt to see her like this.

There would be no repeat of what happened with the Papyrus and Undyne doppelgangers.

Sans does his best to glare at her as if he's really as indifferent as he's trying to seem. He makes a show of inspecting her, letting his gaze travel up and down her obviously poor attire consisting of the ratty brown cloak and worn down boots. He notes with a faint pang of sadness how her body is much slimmer, much paler than it should be. Her scales are dull, most likely from lack of proper magical food, and dust and mud are splattered everywhere from her limbs to her clothing.

He avoids looking her in the eye, for he fears what he will see there. Fears what he will _recognize._

"Taking people with you at dagger-point doesn't usually inspire a will to talk, you know," he drawls instead. "But I'm curious. So I will ask, and only ask _once,"_ he again avoids her eyes, instead focusing on the bridge of her snout where her lack of glasses is obvious, _reminding him_ \- "what did you want so desperately to _talk_ to me about?"

She is silent for a moment, clearly calculating if she can afford not to answer, then sights and stutters in a resigned tone: "I n-noticed your d-determination levels."

Sans narrows his eyes. Determination levels? He is aware that with Frisk's and his combined souls the sheer amount of pure determination in their body must be off the charts, enough to allow for both time travel and, apparently, _dimension hopping._ But since when is this something that can be measured outside of a lab? His paranoia is screaming at him, telling him that this got a _whole lot_ more dangerous, that there are _unknown variables_ and he should _act act protect himself,_ but Frisk kindly inserts themselves to shield him from those panicked thoughts.

 _Give her a chance to explain,_ they whisper.  
_Think logically, try to find out what she wants before Judging. She's just as scared as we are_ _._

That is true. He watches her shudder as a spark of magic fizzles out near her shoulder. Sans is suddenly very aware of how his magic is churning and likely burning Alphys with the close proximity, so he does his best to reign it in a little. If this becomes a regular occurrence he might have a problem; such agitated magic is a dead give away to his emotional state to any monster that can actively scan for those things.

With a forced calmness to his tone, he inquires: "How would you know about my determination levels?"  
Her answer is hesitant and sort-of mumbled as if she's ashamed of what she is about to divulge: "I-I b-b-built a city w-wide sc-scanner... A-and, uh, I n-noticed yours r-r-right away. I m-mean..." she trails off.

A scientist as well. Huh. But that still doesn't answer _why._  
Sans scowls, then asks: "What would you need someone with high determination levels for?"

The Not-Alphys looks away and wrings her hands. "I-I didn't really think this through b-but, ah, I-I just need, um, if you c-could- I'm, sorry, I m-mean... if I could j-just-"  
"Get to the point."  
"A-ah, sorry. I... would need a bit of your d-determination..."

Oh? Now, this is _interesting_. He silently looks at her, to determine if she's serious. Apparently, judging by her miserable shuffling and lowered head, she is. Great.  
He rubs his head, then growls more than asks:  
"What for."  
She still does not look up as she answers: "I need it to get out of here."  
"Out of here?"  
"T-to the outside. Beyond the wall! I d-don't want to spend my l-life in here, r-rotting away like all the others!"  
The last two sentences are said with a sort of resolve and desperation he distantly recognizes: raw hope. A dream, a goal, to rise beyond what life had given her. He raises a bony eyebrow as she suddenly looks up with fire in her eyes.  
"I won't be forgotten! I will _do_ something, _be_ something! I will show that I can make it to the other side! B-but," and here the fire simmers down again, "I-I guess now I w-wont. After w-what I d-did, you have n-no r-reason to help me a-anymore..."

Her voice trails off, and silence descends once again. It's just him, the hunched over figure of Not-Alphys, and the nothing between them. He looks at her, a bit critically, to where she has sunken to her knees.

Sans thinks about her words.  
In truth, he admires that resolve. He knows what having the determination to be better is like, but he is also intimately familiar with failure, perhaps even more so than with any other sensation. It has been a long time since either Frisk or he had any sort of ambition beyond stopping the whole circle of deaths and resets. There had been little room for pretty dreams since they had become meaningless in the face of time rewinding itself, any progress undone and gone in an instant. Looking at this bright soul, however, this young naïve hope, brings back memories of their first runs. The ones where they still thought they could make everything be alright. Years of resets had crushed that attitude mercilessly, but here, where time would resume normally once Sans and Frisk were gone, it would be actually possible for the little lizard to succeed. There'd be no resets to halt time and keep everything the same for decades. As such, they find themselves inadvertently wanting to help the Not-Alphys, to ensure she'd be alright once they left. (And if it is also because of a lingering sense of responsibility to their _friend_ Alphys, then that's entirely Sans' and Frisk's business and no one needs to know of it).  
Sans shakes his head to chase the irrational thoughts away. There is no way they could; their goals are just too different. And she could be lying. Helping her would be just another stone on their already difficult path to find Chara and go home... or would it?  
His mind flashes to the memory of her talking about a scanner with a city-wide range - and he grins as a plan forms and clicks into place. If she can build something that can detect determination, then surely she can build something similar for a _specific_ magic signature? Having a method of finding Chara that doesn't involve risky scouting and long searches would make their job so much easier. Also, Frisk adds, they could probably use some insight from a universe native anyway.  
That decides it. With a new resolve burning in his chest, Sans lowers the knife and leans slightly forward to Not-Alphys, giving her a smile to which she just looks confused.  
"I would be willing," he offers, "to give you some of my determination. But!" He cuts off her confused cry, "I will need you to build something for me in return. I will not just give out something like that for free. Do you understand?"  
Alphys stares at him, clearly surprised and unsure about making a deal with someone she'd threatened and been threatened by just a few moments ago, but he can see her doubts being overwhelmed by her hope and desperation, and he notes the exact moment she decides to throw all she has into this one chance for freedom.  
"Yes," she says, and he can hear the determination in her voice, which doesn't even waver one bit.  
"Good," he states and holds out a hand to where she is sitting on her knees in the mud. She goes red and stutters something unintelligible, but accepts it, and once they're both standing, she glances at him once with curious eyes before turning around and walking down the alley. "F-follow me," she says, and he does, without another word.

_-:·° MT °·:-_

Sans finds out that Alphys 'house', if you could call it that, is located at the far end of the city. It is built on top of another one and only manages to stay there because it's leaning against the looming stone wall behind it. Against the giant wall, which looks to Sans like one of the cave walls of the Underground but rougher and definitely not naturally formed, the already tiny heap of purple-bound trash seems minuscule and lost, utterly dwarfed as it is. As he is led up a rough, thin staircase, he distrustfully eyes a few haphazardly placed support beams made of rusted metal. When they arrive at the door and Alphys fumbles with some sort of magical lock, he takes another moment to better inspect the purple threads holding the walls together. They wrap around everything, bind the pieces of trash together, but also seem very much stuck, and he can see the way the magic is bound to the objects in contact with it. When he touches a thread, it takes some effort to wrench his hand free again. It's a very remarkable use of purple magic, he thinks.  
He tries to remember if something like this was used to build houses in his own version of the Underground, but he's a _scientist_ at best, not an architect or construction worker. If they did, then it's not visible in the houses of his own dimension. He thinks that it's a pity because the sight of the purple lines crisscrossing over the walls could almost be called pretty if it weren't for the other building materials.  
A quiet whoop of success draws his attention back to Alphys, who has finally managed to open the door. He follows her in and closes the door behind them. Inside, he is greeted by a rapid beeping. He blinks as he adjusts to the rather mediocre light level, and his eyes go wide.  
How in the world did she manage to build all _this_ with _just trash?_  
The whole room (and it is just one room, filling the whole house) is covered in machinery. There are rows of projects that blink and whirr, tightly packed on tilted shelves, parts and half-finished pieces lying on the floor. He can just make out some sort of work desk under a mountain of metal and plastic parts, microchips and wires and other electrical components scattered everywhere. In a corner, a sort of bed made from a few sheets is installed, also covered with mechanical parts. And in the center of the room, like the crowning piece of it all sits a massive contraption. Which is making that furious beeping noise.

"A-ah, I suppose I h-haven't cleaned r-recently, ha-ha..." Alphys sheepishly laughs, rubbing her neck while standing awkwardly to the side. Sans does his best to school his expression into one of mild disinterest.  
"It's okay," he says, except it's really not. Just... How? Even the Alphys of his own world didn't build this much, and she was an _official_ scientist.

This one must be really desperate.

He shrugs off his disbelief and instead looks at the monstrosity in the middle of the room. Alphys follows his look and gasps as she sees it. Immediately she hurried over, fiddling with a few switches and levers. "This i-is the sc-scanner," she explains. "I-Its reacting to y-your presence."  
Finally, the beeping stops.  
Sans welcomes the sudden silence, but eventually, he has to break it as he realizes that Alphys is too shy to speak up. "So, introductions."

She looks up, seemingly surprised at his amiable tone. He grins at her, in a reassuring way. She sighs wearily, looks down at her hands, fiddles with the hem of her cloak, and begins hesitantly: "I-I am Alphys. Alphys the e-engineer."

Sans takes a step backward, then bows lightly for the dramatics.  
"I am Sans, Sans the Skeleton," he says, grinning wider now. "Pleased to meet you, Engineer. I hope we can work well together. If we can be a _unit_ , we'll be a _force_ to be reckoned with."

The wary look he gets is totally worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I choose to write a character known for his puns when I really am not the best at them?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Surprise, it's Alphys! I bet you didn't expect her here of all places. As to why... well, I said that questions would be answered. Just not this chapter, sorry. You can keep guessing as to what's going on ;)
> 
> If you liked it, please leave a review! Those are ridiculously motivating, and I love every one of them!


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